Revolution 2025
Date: March 9, 2025
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another major pay per view and in this case, the card is looking rather stacked. The card is very strong with a bunch of title and grudge matches, which should make for quite the nice show. The main event is likely going to be Cope challenging Jon Moxley for the World Title so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Komander/Hologram vs. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian

It’s not a good sign for EJ Nduka, Johnson’s usual partner, that he isn’t getting this spot. Johnson and Christian jump them before the bell to start fast but Christian accidentally elbows Johnson in the face. Komander hurricanranas Christian to the floor and stereo dives take the villains out. Back in and stereo running strikes get two on Johnson as we settle down a bit. Commentary talks about royalties of Tony Schiavone appearing on Arliss, Komander gets double clotheslined for two and Christian chokes away on the ropes.

Christian’s springboard is dropkicked down and the diving tag brings in Hologram to pick up the pace. Hologram takes Christian up top but gets shoved down, allowing Johnson to hit a dive. Back in and Christian’s middle rope 450 sets up Johnson’s frog splash for two more. They go to the apron and Hologram can’t quite poisonrana Christian (that looked nasty) so it’s a dive onto Komander to leave all four down onto the floor. Back in and a slingshot cutter sets up a Last Chancery with Hologram making the save. Komander’s top rope Canadian Destroyer sets up Hologram’s 450 to pin Christian at 9:54.

Rating: B. This was a good choice for an opener as there is always room for a fast paced match to let the fans get interested to start things off. They didn’t waste time here and just did a bunch of big spots. It doesn’t mean much as far as any kind of storyline as Hologram doesn’t really have any and the other three are mainly in ROH, but this was a fun way to start the night.

Zero Hour: Daniel Garcia/Undisputed Era vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Strong grabs a hammerlock on Bravo to start and it’s quickly off to O’Reilly to go for an armbar. Cole gets in the right hands in the corner as commentary goes into the comedy routines. Garcia comes in with a swinging neckbreaker on Moriarty before a dancing double leg stomp keeps Moriarty down. Taylor has had it with the waiting around and runs people over on the floor as we see the Opps watching.

We settle down to Garcia trying to suplex Taylor but the rest of the Promotions come in for the beatdown. Moriarty stomps away in the corner and let’s look at the Opps again. Taylor adds an apron legdrop but Garcia is back up with the belly to back suplex. That’s enough to bring Cole in to clean house but Garcia tags himself back in, despite Cole loading up the Panama Sunrise. The Dragontamer makes Moriarty tap at 9:37.

Rating: C. On Collision, Moriarty, the Ring Of Honor Pure Champion, was pinned in a singles match. The following night, Moriarty, still champion, tapped out in a match where he had three partners. I know Ring Of Honor doesn’t mean much, but could we stop going out of the way to make it feel worthless and beneath everything else?

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Gravity

Jericho is defending…or he would be if he didn’t hit Gravity with the baseball bat before the bell. The Learning Tree comes in to beat Gravity down and Bandido’s save attempt is cut off as well. No match. Also no mask as Jericho unmasks Gravity and gives him the Judas Effect. Bandido and Gravity’s family comes in to cover him. So yes, the feud will continue.

Zero Hour: Johnny TV/MxM Collection vs. Big Boom AJ/Conglomeration

The Rizzler, cosplaying as Orange Cassidy, and Big Justice are here with the non-villains, while Taya Valkyrie is here to cancel them out. TV dances away from Cassidy to start so Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets for the dropkick. Briscoe comes in for a double shoulder before hammering away in the corner. AJ does the same so it’s off to Madden, allowing Mansoor to cheap shot Cassidy.

The Collection strikes a pose and Mansoor steals the cookies from the Rizzler and Big Justice. Valkyrie cuts Cassidy off the top and kisses TV, who stretched Cassidy’s abdominals. Cassidy gets out and brings in Briscoe, who is quickly chokeslammed off the top. Briscoe is right back with a missile dropkick to TV and it’s AJ coming in to clean house.

Madden’s chokeslam is countered into a powerslam for two but TV is back in to kick AJ down. More kissing ensues but here is Harley Cameron to cut Valkyrie off. The Powerboom puts TV down, only for Mansoor to superkick AJ. Mansoor hammers on AJ in the corner….and Big Justice powerbombs him down for the save. Justice gets saved and a triple Powerboom finishes Madden at 12:56.

Rating: C+. As was the case last time, AJ being a former wrestler makes this far easier to watch. We’re not sitting around for five minutes to wait on him to do three moves and then let everyone else do their thing. If it draws in some extra eyes to the product and nothing of note is lost (I love the Collection but they don’t exactly mean much), it’s a perfectly fine way to go.

Post match the Murder Machines run in for the beatdown but Powerhouse Hobbs makes the save. Two actors from the Righteous Gemstones come in and help with a chokeslam so posing can ensue.

And now, the main show.

Hangman Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

The hype package was on the Kickoff Show, showing the two of them arguing until things got more and more violent. This led to MJF attempting to light Page on fire, as you do in wrestling. MJF teases coming out to Page’s music for some pre-match mind games. They slug it out at the bell and Page hits a running boot in the corner. MJF gets smart by pulling the referee in the way and using the distraction to get in an eye rake.

The chinlock doesn’t last long and MJF has to get out of a sleeper. MJF mocks the cowboy side of Page before catching him with a powerbomb backbreaker for two. The trash talk makes Page hammer away but MJF takes him down and says this is HIS company. Page gets in a knockdown of his own and nips up (which the camera mostly misses) before kicking him off the apron. The moonsault to the floor drops MJF again (it feels like forever since Page busted that out) but he catches Page with an upside down superkick into an Alabama Slam for two.

A lifting hammerlock DDT gives MJF two and they’re both down for a bit. Back up and the Deadeye gets two, followed by the Buckshot Lariat for the same, with MJF putting a foot on the ropes. MJF bails out to the floor and avoids a charge to send Page shoulder first into the steps. The Salt Of The Earth goes on before MJF switches over to a reverse cross armbreaker.

That’s broken up as well and they go outside for a fight over a Tombstone, with MJF hitting a jumping version onto an open chair. Page is on his feet to beat the count 1:26 later and MJF starts crying, shouting WHY NOT ME. The Heatseeker is countered into a Deadeye and the Angel’s Wings drops MJF on his head (GEEZ). The Buckshot Lariat finishes for Page at 19:04.

Rating: B. This was good and hard hitting, but what matters the most is that Page is starting to move up the ranks again. It would not surprise me to see him getting closer to the World Title scene and beating MJF is a good step in that direction. Ignoring the jumping Tombstone onto the chair, it felt like a fight between two people who wanted to beat each other up and it made for a good opener to the main show.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the TBS Title against Momo Watanabe. Back at Wrestle Dynasty, Watanabe won a #1 contenders match and then showed up again a few weeks ago to announce she was challenging Mone. One decent match against Serena Deeb later and here we are.

TBS Title: Momo Watanabe vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending. They fight over arm control to start until Watanabe takes her down. The threat of a kick to the back has Mone cringing and her armdrag is countered into a crossface chickenwing. They trade rollups for two each before Mone counters a Meteora into a Bank Statement.

Back up and a Meteora connects to Watanabe in the ropes but Mone can’t hit a piledriver on the apron. Instead it’s a powerbomb onto the floor to drop Watanabe hard. Back in and Mone grabs an armbar but Watanabe reverses into something like a Deadeye for two. Both of their Three Amigos are blocked, but Watanabe ties her in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs. A running dropkick rocks Mone again and Watanabe mocks Mone’s dance.

The crossface chickenwing is cut off and Mone hits a quick Backstabber for a breather. Watanabe kicks away out of the corner and hits a middle rope Meteora to the apron for two more. The Mone Maker is blocked so Mone settles for a powerbomb for two of their own. They go up top where Watanabe belly to belly superplexes her for another near fall, followed by some hard kicks to the face for the same. Mone is back with a high crossbody for two, setting up the Mone Maker into the Bank Statement for the tap at 18:18.

Rating: B. These two beat the heck out of each other and it was another rather good match from Mone, which isn’t a surprise. Her ability in the ring has never been the issue and that was on display again here. When you take away everything outside of the ring from Money, it’s easy to see why she is presented as a star. Just find something a bit better to set up the title matches and maybe have Mone be a bit less hard to watch outside of the ring.

Billie Starkz is watching from the crowd.

We recap Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet for the #1 contendership. Ricochet has been driving Strickland crazy and has gotten rather violent, including stealing Prince Nana’s robe. Nana wants the old Strickland back and has basically threatened to leave if Strickland doesn’t win.

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet

Strickland has Prince Nana with him and gets live drummed to the ring for a bit of a special entrance. They both miss early shots to start until Strickland hits a shoulder to send Ricochet outside. Back in and the flip around a bit more until Strickland hits a backbreaker to take over again. Ricochet is able to send him face first into the middle buckle, only to be sent outside for a beating against the barricade.

For some reason Nana tries to call Strickland off and gets knocked down for some reason. That’s enough for Nana to leave as Ricochet hits a Lionsault for two. A running cutter drops Strickland again but has to stop yelling at actress Leslie Jones at ringside. Strickland fights out of a chinlock and gets two off a brainbuster.

They go to the top and Strickland is knocked down, setting up a West Coast Pop for two. A hurricanrana takes Strickland outside and they go to the announcers’ table. Strickland grabs a Vertebreaker onto the table, which doesn’t break, setting up a Swerve Stomp for two. Ricochet is right back up with a low blow into a brainbuster, followed by the 630 for two more.

Cue Prince Nana again to steal the robe back but Ricochet cuts him off and steals it back again. Strickland’s dive is cut off with a Death Valley Driver onto the floor for the scary crash. Back in and Vertigo gets two but Nana grabs the robe again. Nana gets in and gets crushed in the corner, leaving Ricochet to grab a rollup for two. A pair of House Calls gives Ricochet two and Big Pressure finishes him off at 18:10.

Rating: B-. This was where the near falls went a bit too far, with both guys getting up from things that should have knocked them out a lot faster. What matters the most here is that Swerve won, as he has needed to move back up the ladder for a few months now. Beating Ricochet and (in theory) getting the robe back is a good way to go. Not a bad match at all, but some of the instances of these two getting up was a lot to take.

Post match Strickland gives Nana the robe back in a nice moment.

We recap Brody King challenging Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Title. Okada beat King’s partner Buddy Murphy so now King is getting a title shot of his own.

Continental Title: Brody King vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending and tries a slam to start for some reason. King sends him outside but gets hammered on the way back inside to slow him down again. A forearm puts Okada on the floor again though and King hammers away, only to miss a charge. Back in and Okada slams him down but the top rope elbow is broken up. A top rope superplex drops Okada and a backdrop does it again.

King hits a suicide dive, setting up the big crash against the barricade. Back in and Okada misses a dropkick but scores with a neckbreaker. Now the top rope elbow can connect but the Rainmaker is countered into a Death Valley Driver into the corner. They go back to the floor where Okada hits a dropkick into the barricade. Back in and Okada grabs something made of metal, which is a distraction so a belt shot can hit King for two. Another Rainmaker is blocked but Okada knocks him back and now the Rainmaker can retain the title at 10:57.

Rating: C+. Yeah this didn’t work nearly as well as anything else on the show so far as it was basically a cold match with no reason to believe that King was going to win the title. Okada was trying well enough here but he wasn’t exactly burning up the mat. It wasn’t a match that needed to be on the pay per view and the fans seemed to realize that.

We recap the Hurt Syndicate defending the Tag Team Titles against the Outrunners. The Syndicate are the dominant champions and the Outrunners earned a title shot. This is looking like a one sided title defense on paper, which might be the point.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. Outrunners

The Outrunners are challenging. Benjamin suplexes and slams Magnum to start and it’s quickly off to Floyd. The Outrunners actually clear the ring and MVP needs to fire the champions up a bit. Back in and Benjamin takes over on Magnum in the corner, where Lashley fires off some shoulders to the ribs.

Benjamin snaps off a German suplex and a running powerslam gets two. Magnum manages to get in something of a running bulldog and there’s the tag off to Floyd. The Mega Powers Elbow hits Benjamin and it’s time for Floyd to Hulk Up. A rope walk armdrag seems to annoy Benjamin, who kicks Floyd in the head. Lashley is back in with a spear, followed by another to let Benjamin get the retaining pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Remember the previous match not feeling like it belonged on the pay per view? This was that same case here but cranked up to about a fifteen out of ten. There was no reason to believe that the Outrunners were going to win the titles here and then they just lost clean. That’s how it should have gone, but it should have been on Collision at best.

We recap Toni Storm vs. Mariah May in the Hollywood Ending match. May beat Storm for the title, then Storm faked amnesia and won the title back in Australia last month. Now it’s time for the big blowoff in a violent fashion.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mariah May

Storm is defending and anything goes with falls counting anywhere. The brawl starts on the stage with May getting the better of things and planting her down for an early two. May whips out a taser so Luther takes it away, earning himself a low blow. Storm is back up with a chokebomb off the stage and through a table for two on the floor. They go to ringside where May is dropped onto the barricade for a hanging DDT, only for Storm to miss a running hip attack.

Storm Zero onto the steps knocks Storm silly but May grabs a chain instead of covering. Storm, who is rather busted open, is tied in the Tree Of Woe for May’s running hip attack. A quick German suplex gives Storm a breather…and it’s time for both of them to tape broken glass to their hands. May gets punched out to the floor and the broken glass is poured out. May’s head is busted open but she’s fine enough to get in a super hurricanrana onto the glass.

Back up and May Day onto the glass gets two, as does Storm’s Storm Zero. With nothing else working, Storm goes outside and grabs the shoe, which gets a nice gasp from the fans. Storm whips her with the title but gets caught with a May Day onto the stage for two. That’s shrugged off and Storm hits her with the shoe a bunch of times, setting up the Storm Zero through a table (with the Hollywood sign) to retain the title at 12:54.

Rating: B+. Sweet goodness this was wild and it felt like the kind of blowoff to a violent feud that they needed. Yes it was a bit silly with the shoe and overdone drama, but that was kind of the point of the whole thing. It’s a big time blowoff and the way to end the war, though I could also see how it went a bit too far with the blood. I’m not sure what is next for Storm, but dang it’s going to be hard to top this one.

Post match May is DONE and Storm holds her, with both of them covered in blood.

We recap Konosuke Takeshita defending the International Title against Kenny Omega. Takeshita beat him twice in a week at one point and then Omega missed a year due to diverticulitis. Now it’s time for Omega to see if he still has it and can beat an old rival.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kenny Omega

Takeshita, with Don Callis, is defending. They collide to start and trade some forearms, with Takeshita getting the better of things. The fight goes outside with Omega driving Takeshita back first into the apron. Takeshita fights back and they head back inside for a DDT. Callis gets in a few shots on the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. Takeshita switches up to the recently repaired abdomen with a knee to the ribs, followed by the shoulders to the ribs in the corner.

A table (of course) is loaded up at ringside but Omega is back with some hard chops. You Can’t Escape is broken up as Omega is shoved off the barricade for a ribs first crash to put him down again. We hit the bodyscissors back inside but Omega fights up and hits a spinning middle rope crossbody. Omega strikes away and now You Can’t Escape connects for two. Callis grabs Omega’s leg to cut that off though and a Cactus Clothesline sends them both outside.

Takeshita’s release German suplex drops Omega again and Callis joins commentary because we’re just that lucky. Omega fights up again and turns the table over, only to get dropped ribs first onto the underside of the table. Another drop onto the side of the table sets up a backsplash back inside as the ribs are crushed even more. Takeshita misses a Swanton to give Omega a breather and he grabs a dragon suplex.

The V Trigger into a powerbomb sets up another V Trigger for two on Takeshita and they’re both down. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two but Omega catches him on top and hits a springboard sunset bomb. Another V Trigger connects but the ribs give out on a One Winged Angel attempt.

Back to back piledrivers give Takeshita two and a pair of running knees give Takeshita two and one each. Omega is back up with a Texas piledriver for two of his own and they’re both down again. Another V Trigger is blocked so Omega goes with a poisonrana instead. Now the V Trigger connects so Callis tries to intervene, only for Omega to grab a crucifix for the pin and the title at 28:32.

Rating: B+. This is how it should have gone with Omega getting to show that he is still able to do it at the highest level. They told a good story here with Omega’s ribs being banged up and slowing him down but he caught Takeshita with a rollup at the moment. It was a heck of a match and a good sign that Omega is still able to be one of the top stars around here.

Omega gets a bunch of pyro as he slowly pulls himself up to leave.

We recap Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher. They were friends in Japan but Don Callis got in Fletcher’s ear, setting off a months long feud. Fletcher beat him, then Ospreay beat him, so now it’s time to do it in a cage to see the two of them face off one on one.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

In a cage with pin/submission only and Don Callis is on commentary. They go straight to the slugout to start with Fletcher getting the better of things. Neither of them can send the other into the cage so Fletcher goes with a hard clothesline. The Stundog Millionaire gives Ospreay a breather but Fletcher sends him into the cage. Ospreay is already busted open and Fletcher licks the blood off the cage, as you do.

Back up and Ospreay sends him into the cage a few times before nailing a standing moonsault for two. Fletcher snaps off a half and half suplex for a needed breather and it’s time to take the turnbuckle pad off. Ospreay gets sent into the buckle for a running kick to the head but is right back with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. They both go up and Fletcher is rammed into the cage a few times, setting up a twisting moonsault for two.

Fletcher is back up with a running boot to the face to send Ospreay into the cage again, setting up a sitout powerbomb for two. Fletcher is busted open as well so a rather pleased Ospreay fires off the Kawada kicks. They trade kicks to the head until Fletcher nails a brainbuster for two. Cue Mark Davis to send in a bag of weapons but Ospreay takes it away and beats on Fletcher with a barbed wire baseball bat.

Fletcher throws up the United Empire hand sign for a distraction, allowing him to hit a low blow. A Hidden Blade into the Stormbreaker gets two as Davis comes in to make the save. Osprey fights up again and knocks Davis outside so the cage door can be locked again. An Oscutter off the cage gives Ospreay two so Fletcher climbs up, where he finds the fabled screwdriver. A stab to the head hits Ospreay, but a second misses, allowing Ospreay to try the Styles Clash (37 seconds after he was STABBED IN THE HEAD with a screwdriver).

That’s broken up as well and Fletcher hits a brainbuster, followed by another onto an open chair for two. Now we get the bag of thumbtacks but Ospreay reverses a suplex (1:23 after the brainbuster onto the steel chair) into a hurricanrana. The Styles Clash onto the tacks gives Ospreay two and they fight to the top of the cage. This time Ospreay stabs Fletcher with the screwdriver and it’s a super Spanish Fly off the cage to drive Fletcher into the tacks. Fletcher is up to yell about how much he hates Ospreay so it’s the Hidden Blade into the Tiger Driver 91 to give Ospreay the pin at 28:59.

Rating: B-. Yeah they lost me here more than a few times and it wasn’t the showdown that it needed to be. Some of the things that they were doing was a bit too much and it should have been cut down by a few minutes. Ospreay winning here is a great sign for him though, and hopefully this wraps up everything he is doing with Callis, because it’s going to be hard to top something like this.

Some of the cast of Queen Of The Ring is here and want you to see the movie.

We recap Cope challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title. Moxley is holding the title hostage and being all evil so Cope is trying to get it away. Cope has been smart enough to take out the Death Riders, though he left Wheeler Yuta standing. That never sounds like a good idea.

AEW World Title: Cope vs. Jon Moxley

Cope is challenging and the fans sing his song in a nice moment. They slug it out to start, both from their feet and then from their knees before going back to their feet. Cope knocks him outside for a dive from the top, setting up the clothesline off the apron. Moxley fights back and sends him into the barricade over and over, setting up a neckbreaker onto the apron for two. Some crossface shots keep Cope in trouble and Moxley knocks him down again…as we see the Opps watching.

Cope gets back up with a quick Impaler for a breather and the clothesline comeback is on. The top rope superplex gives Cope two and the Grindhouse goes on (to SILENCE from the crowd). That’s broken up and Cope spears him through the ropes to the floor, only for Moxley to whip him into the steps. The floor mats are peeled back but the piledriver is cut off. Instead Moxley hits a stomp onto the concrete, followed by a piledriver for two back inside.

The bulldog choke has Cope in more trouble but he eventually makes it over to the rope for the break. The referee has to take the chair away and Cope gets kicked into him, meaning there is no one to count after the Paradigm Shift. Moxley tries a Conchairto but Cope kicks one of the chairs into his face for a breather.

Cue Wheeler Yuta to knee Cope down (of course) so here is Jay White to even things out a bit. White steals the briefcase from Moxley but accidentally knocks Cope out, giving Moxley a rather close two. Back up and the spear gives Cope two so he hits a few more spears….and Christian Cage pulls the referee out. Cage knocks Cope silly with the contract, which he then signs to make this a three way title match.

AEW World Title: Cope vs. Jon Moxley vs. Christian Cage

Moxley is still defending and Cage hits a spear for two on Cope. The Killswitch hits Cope but Moxley is back in to grab the bulldog choke on Cage. That’s enough for Cage to go out and Moxley retains at 26:34.

Rating: C. Oh this didn’t work and the fans were letting them know about it until the cash-in woke them up for a bit. This was about Moxley beating the fire out of Cope and then Cope hitting a bunch of spears to not much success. In other words, Moxley wins again and does so against a fresh Cage because Moxley continues to be the most dominant person ever while everyone else is stupid. Not a good main event, but it wasn’t exactly feeling great in the weeks building up to it either.

Moxley goes to leave the arena but runs into Prince Nana. Swerve Strickland dives out of the crowd to take him down and end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There were weak points on this show but the stuff that worked did work very well. I had a good time with the show and it felt like the kind of pay per view that built up AEW’s reputation in the first place. Other than maybe the main event, there was pretty much nothing weak with some matches that you might have liked even more. It was a very good show with one solid match after another and that’s what a show like this should be. AEW is on a roll right now and this was another step in that pretty great run.

Results
Komander/Hologram b. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian – 450 to Christian
Daniel Garcia/Undisputed Era b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Dragontamer to Moriarty
Big Boom AJ/Conglomeration b. Johnny TV/MxM Collection – Triple Powerboom to Madden
Hangman Page b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Buckshot Lariat
Mercedes Mone b. Momo Watanabe – Bank Statement
Swerve Strickland b. Ricochet – Big Pressure
Kazuchika Okada b. Brody King – Rainmaker
Hurt Syndicate b. Outrunners – Spear to Magnum
Toni Storm b. Mariah May – Storm Zero through a table
Kenny Omega b. Konosuke Takeshita – Crucifix
Will Ospreay b. Kyle Fletcher – Tiger Driver 91
Jon Moxley b. Christian Cage and Cope – Bulldog choke to Cage

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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We’re back on pay per view and that means it’s time to get ready for a bunch of matches, some of which have been built up rather well. What matters the most here is that we have some big matches on top and I’m interested in where a lot of this card is going. AEW has been doing well as of late and if they can stick the landing with the important show, things could be looking way up. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Big Boom AJ/Orange Cassidy/Mark Briscoe vs. Johnny TV/MxM Collection

I’m still not big on the Costco Guys but they’re celebrities (work with me here) and AJ is at least a former wrestler so it’s not some big mess. This isn’t something I’m overly looking forward to and I could really go for something better for both Briscoe and Cassidy. That being said, this is going to get quite a bit of attention and that’s the reason it is on the show in the first place.

Naturally the good guys win here, as there is pretty much no reason to bring the Costco Guys onto the show if they’re going to lose. It’s smart to have some other people out there to the bulk of the match but we’ll see stuff from AJ’s son and the Rizzler and that’s all AEW wants out of this. If they keep this relatively short, it has the potential to be perfectly harmless fun which could benefit AEW quite well.

Kickoff Show: Daniel Garcia/Undisputed Kingdom vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Apparently it’s time to act like the Promotions count again, as for some reason they’re being dragged out more and more frequently in recent weeks. I’m not sure why anyone would expect THIS TIME to be the one instance where it works out but AEW has done some stranger things. This is also going to be more about Adam Cole getting a TNT Title shot against Garcia down the line, but we can worry about that later.

As worried as I am about the idea of Shane Taylor pinning Garcia here to get himself a title shot, I’ll play it safe and say that Cole pins one of the Infantry so the good guys win. There is at least something of a point to this match, but it feels like something that should be taking place around 9:10 on any given edition of Collision. That’s kind of the point of the Kickoff Show, but having this added at the last minute was more “well of course they added in something else” rather than making me want to see it.

Kickoff Show: Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Gravity

It’s still not a good sign when your biggest claim to fame is that you are the brother of the star (just ask Ryan Nemeth). Gravity is back and for some reason this feud is continuing after Jericho already beat Bandido in their title match. I still have no idea what the endgame is for Jericho but I’m starting to believe that they’re just killing time until Eddie Kingston is back.

Naturally Jericho wins here, as Gravity doesn’t exactly have the pull to make this work. No matter how you look at it, Gravity is a talented guy but he is known for being Bandido’s brother more than anything he has done in the ring so far. That isn’t enough for him to win the title and this is a match that really did not need to be added to the show. Jericho being around is good, but in what should be a no issue title defense on the pre-show? That’s the best spot you have for him?

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate(c) vs. Outrunners

This one actually intrigues me a bit as I have no idea why the Outrunners are being given this shot. They’re the fun team and on paper, this is a total squash. I’m not sure why in the world you would have the popular team lose in a match like this, which has me wondering if AEW is thinking about trying something crazy here. The more I think about it, the more crazy I realize that sounds so we’ll move on.

I’ll go with the sane pick and say the Syndicate retains the titles here because…well why wouldn’t they? The Syndicate has been presented as a major team and outside of some major shenanigans, there is no reason to act like the Outrunners are on their level. This should be a squash and I’m really not sure why it’s taking place on pay per view. Maybe they have something wacky planned, but the Syndicate should absolutely be retaining here.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Momo Watanabe

Here we have one of AEW’s favorites: bringing someone in mainly on the strength of what they have done in another promotion, having them win a match or two and then putting them right in the title picture. That isn’t the best way to go as it presents the obvious issue: talent aside (and she has it), there is no reason to care about Watanabe. She’s just there for the sake of Mone having an international opponent and that’s not exactly thrilling.

Of course I’ll take Mone to retain, as she has been the champion for what feels like the better part of ever and hopefully AEW is building up for a big moment when she finally loses the title. Watanabe isn’t the right person to do that and even though the match is likely to be quite good from a technical standpoint, it’s hard to get interested in something which feels this thrown together.

Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Brody King

So the House Of Black broke up thanks to Black leaving the company and now Brody King and Buddy Matthews are getting to lose over and over. I don’t know if this is supposed to be some kind of weird punishment to Black’s former partners or what, but it’s one of the weirdest booking choices that I’ve seen in AEW in a long time. That should explain where this is going.

There is no reason to believe that Okada is going to lose here as King is just being thrown out there for the sake of putting the title match on the show. That’s not the best idea, just like King losing again isn’t but here we are for some reason. Okada will retain here as it seems like he is coming up on a big title showdown with Kenny Omega at All In, meaning he isn’t losing a mostly cold match to King here.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

This is inside of a steel cage and PLEASE let it be the end of Ospreay vs. the Don Callis Family. I know I’ve been saying that for the better part of a year now, but that’s because THE FEUD IS STILL GOING. Thankfully they have at least been teasing that Ospreay wants to get into the World Title picture and my goodness would it be overdue. There is no reason for these sides to be feuding with each other any longer and this very well may be the big blowoff.

As strong of a possibility as it seems, I see no reason for Fletcher to win here, as if it is the big ending, it should be Ospreay getting the win to blow the thing off. Ospreay being the superhero who gets to finish his former friend by possibly going all violent for once should work out well. That’s what we should be getting here, but it would not stun me for Fletcher to win and somehow keep it going.

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet

For the #1 contendership and that opens up some interesting questions. On one hand, I can’t imagine Ricochet getting a title shot against Jon Moxley, but I’m also not sure I can see Cope getting the title. That doesn’t leave many options, but it could give us quite the nice moment. It sets up a good possibility and I think that might just be where it goes, as it should (maybe).

I’ll take Strickland winning here, just because I can’t imagine Ricochet getting a title shot against Moxley, nor can I picture Cope winning. Strickland would be a good choice to get back into the main event picture, but dang they have been teasing the idea of Prince Nana turning on Strickland hard lately. It’s a pick I don’t expect to work, but I’ll go with Strickland winning here.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Mariah May

This is literally being described as the (Hollywood) Ending and that means we should be done with this feud once and for all. That seemed to be what we were seeing last month but instead here we are again for a rubber match. Storm got her big win back on her home turf at Grand Slam and she kind of has it again here, which makes things more interesting. The violence could help as well here and we are all but promised to see it taking place.

I’m not sure I can see a reason for Storm to lose here so I’ll go with her retaining the title in a brutal match. May is going to be needing to do something else after a loss here, but there is little reason to put the title on her again. The story needs to wrap up here and move on, possibly with Storm finding a fresh challenger. The May feud has been going on way too long now and it’s time for something new after she wins here.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Kenny Omega

Here we have part of a pretty long running feud with Takeshita having gotten the better of Omega for a long time. That opens up some options, but they may have spoiled the whole thing with Omega’s staredown with Okada. Maybe it’s just false hope, but egads I could go for the two of them facing off in a title unification match. That needs something to happen first though and that might be what we are going to see here.

I’ll take Omega winning here, as Takeshita has long since proven that he is one of the best things going in AEW today, but Omega needs to establish that he still has it. Winning a big match over someone who has beaten him multiple times before would certainly accomplish that and if we just have to get a really good match out of it, oh well. Takeshita is going to be fine, but Omega doesn’t likely have much time left in the ring so seeing him win the title here would be the right way to go.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Hangman Page

This is the ultra personal match on the show, even if they might have gone a bit nuts with MJF trying to burn Page alive on Dynamite. It’s the kind of match that should make for a good showdown as they both have the resumes and skill to make it feel big. I’m hoping they haven’t built things up too hard with what they have been doing because that could bring them down in a hurry.

Geez I’m not sure on this one but I’ll go with Page winning, as he seems to be on more of an upward trajectory and needs the win to keep that going. It wouldn’t stun me to see him move towards the Death Riders and possibly a World Title feud (perhaps with Swerve Strickland at his side). Beating MJF would be a great step in that direction, though I’m not sure where that leaves MJF. Page wins here, and then we’ll see where things go.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Cope

I guess we have to do this one too due to reasons. This isn’t a match that has me overly interested and a lot of that is due to the Death Riders still being one of the least interesting storylines I’ve seen in a long time. Cope has been taking them out one by one, which means they’re either going to come back and save Moxley here or Moxley is going to win anyway, possibly with the help of Wheeler Yuta, the last Rider standing. Or they go with what feels like the more obvious result.

After so many months of Moxley dominating the World Title scene, it feels like it’s time for that to keep going, possibly, or even likely, with Jay White turning on Cope to cost him the title. That feels like something that been set up for a little while now and while it feels predictable, that doesn’t mean it isn’t where things are going. Cope winning the title doesn’t feel right, meaning Moxley gets to keep the forever reign going.

Overall Thoughts

Normally I try to get through the weaker main card matches first, but the more I looked at this card, the more stacked the whole thing feels. There are only a few weak spots in the whole thing and if AEW does this the right way, we could be in for a heck of a show. What matters the most here is the possibility of some feel good moments, which have been sorely lacking from AEW PPVs in recent months. Just let the fans have a good time for once and we can see where things go from there. Revolution looks solid on paper though and that’s a nice thing to see.

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Collision
Date: March 8, 2025
Location: Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the last show before Revolution and that means we very well may get some more matches added at the last minute. Other than that, it is time to firm up what we already have on the card, which should come in the form of some good stuff. AEW has been going well as of late and if they can keep that going throughout the weekend, things will be looking up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opps vs. Jack Banning/Starboy Charlie/Titus Alexander

Hook suplexes Charlie to start and then does the same to Alexander. Shibata and Joe chop away at Alexander and then Joe gets to hammer away at the jaw. Shibata’s running corner dropkick sets up the PK for the pin at 2:18.

Cope is ready to win the title from Jon Moxley, who is a spin doctor rather than a messiah. He wants the Moxley who will come after him so he has to make this count. There is no tomorrow because this might be his final shot at a world title. You know, other than tomorrow, when he gets his title shot.

Momo Watanabe vs. Serena Deeb

Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Deeb works on the arm to start and spins out of Watanabe’s wristlock for a bonus. They trade headlock takeovers and headscissors escapes before we stop to look at Mone again. Deeb pulls her into a surfboard but lets it go, allowing Watanabe to hit a dropkick. Watanabe starts firing off kicks to the chest but gets caught in a dragon screw legwhip as we take a break.

Back with Watanabe snapping off some suplexes and hitting a PK for two. Deeb’s Octopus hold doesn’t last long as Watanabe is out with a snap suplex. Back up and a hammerlock lariat gives Deeb two as Mone is getting frustrated. A half crab has Watanabe in more trouble but she fights up and hits a kick to the head. Watanabe grabs a bridging half nelson suplex for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. And that’s the extent of build that Watanabe is getting for her title match against Mone tomorrow night. Watanabe won a four way in Japan, threw something on Mone, and took a good while to beat Deeb. There isn’t much of a reason to believe that she’s going to win the title tomorrow, but here we are anyway as Mone gets to face someone who means very little to the AEW audience. It isn’t about Watanabe’s talent, but rather about her not meaning much of anything around here. That’s a bad thing and AEW likes to do it far too often.

Post match Mone gets in Watanabe’s face and gets taken out just as fast.

We look back at Will Ospreay getting taken out by the Don Callis Family on Dynamite.

At Dynamite, Ospreay was banged up but he is ready for the cage match at Revolution. He talks about his history with his old friends in Japan and how they took over. Then last year, Kyle Fletcher turned on him and it’s time to face off. He loves Fletcher but now he has to fight like an animal and prove that he is on another level.

Harley Cameron vs. Tatevik Hunanyan

Hunanyan jumps her from behind to start and chokes away on the mat, followed by a Russian legsweep. Cameron gets some boots up out of the corner and nails a Shining Wizard. Her Finishing Move (the official name) finishes for Cameron at 2:15.

Kyle Fletcher doesn’t like Will Ospreay treating their cage match like a stepping stone to the World Title. The reality is that Ospreay is the thing standing in Fletcher’s way. Ospreay is going to be locked in a cage with a lion and the mat will be painted red with his bed.

The Infantry vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Dean gets taken into the corner and chopped a bunch to start, setting up O’Reilly’s suplex for two. It’s off to Bravo, who gets kneed in the ribs, but is able to take O’Reilly into the corner to take over. O’Reilly backdrops his way out of trouble though and the tag brings in Strong to clean house.

We take a break and come back with Dean hitting a jumping clothesline on Strong, setting up a splash for two. Strong fights up without much trouble and hands it back to O’Reilly for strikes and suplexes. Dean breaks up a guillotine choke but the High/Low finishes Bravo off at 8:39.

Rating: C+. The Infantry being presented as a thing might have been a bigger hit if I hadn’t seen them lose on Ring Of Honor two days ago. That’s the way things keep going around here, as someone might start getting some momentum but they lose a random match and things get derailed. It isn’t like the Infantry has much going for them, but if AEW wants the Kingdom to get something out of this, maybe don’t have them lose so recently?

Don Callis dubs Konosuke Takeshita as the new god of professional wrestling and promises to end Kenny Omega.

We recap the Learning Tree trying to prove themselves to Chris Jericho. Gravity wants a Ring Of Honor World Title shot.

Jon Moxley talks about how he and Cope are the last of a dying breed. Cope is always feeling that dream of being champion one more time. That’s why this is about respect, which Moxley wants to do for Cope. When he gets his hands around Cope’s neck, should he show him mercy? Would Cope do that? Moxley promises to hurt Cope and then he’ll know what respect feels like.

Hologram vs. Dralistico

They take turns flipping over each other to start and that’s good for a standoff. Dralistico puts him up against the ropes, waits about ten seconds, and then hits a loud chop. Hologram avoids a charge to the floor and hits a big dive as the pace picks up. Back in and Dralistico grabs a top rope hurricanrana out to the floor, setting up a dive of his own. Hologram is sent mask first into a few things and Dralistico hits a basement superkick as we take a break.

Back with the referee yelling at Dralistico, leaving Hologram to hit a Spanish Fly on the floor. They chop it out on the apron until Dralistico hurricanranas him outside again. The slugout ensues on the floor until they both dive back in at nine to beat the count. Dralistico grabs a springboard Codebreaker for two but Hologram’s sitout powerbomb gets the same.

A Spanish Fly rocks Dralistico, but he’s right back with a crucifix driver to leave both of them down. The springboard Canadian Destroyer gives Dralistico two (as the referee catches his feet on the ropes) so Hologram grabs a very spinning torture rack powerbomb for the pin at 13:32 (ignore Dralistico raising his arm up, almost in a salute, during the pin).

Rating: B. Take two talented guys, put them in the ring and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s an idea that has worked well for the better part of ever and that was the case again here. I’m not sure what Hologram is going to do as far as moving up the card, but for now he seems to be back in the “just let him do cool stuff” mode for the moment.

Post match the Beast Mortos runs in for the beatdown and goes for Hologram’s mask but Komander makes the save. That doesn’t work either and the beatdown ensues…until the villains just stop.

FTR kind of apologizes for not showing respect to the Undisputed Kingdom last week. They’ll run it back next week. Adam Cole wants a rematch with Daniel Garcia, but he’s off to defend his title.

The Hurt Syndicate sees the Outrunners as underdogs, which the Syndicate has never been. Tomorrow, those dogs are being put down. Good, serious promo here from the champs. Er, well MVP as the champs didn’t actually talk.

Outrunners vs. Premiere Athletes

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes. Nese forearms Magnum to start but Magnum is right back with the big wind up punch. A suplex drops Nese again and it’s off to Floyd, who gets hammered down in the corner. Floyd fights up but goes after Sterling, earning himself another beating.

Everything breaks down and the Athletes are knocked outside as we take a break. Back with Magnum fighting out of a chinlock but getting his throat snapped over the top rope. Nese clotheslines Daivari by mistake though and the hot tag brings in Floyd to clean house. The Mega Powers Elbow hits Nese but Total Recall is broken up. Cue the Hurt Syndicate to watch as Total Recall finishes Daivari at 8:28.

Rating: C. The Outrunners are as weird of a set of pay per view challengers for the titles as you’re going to find in AEW as they don’t have a reputation for winning major matches but yet here they are. That’s going to lead to some interesting possibilities at Revolution, but this was little more than a way to build the Outrunners up a bit at the last minute. That’s not a bad idea at all, though I’m not sure how much impact it had.

We go to the premiere of Queen Of The Ring, where Mariah May jumped Toni Storm.

Revolution rundown.

We get a music video for MJF vs. Hangman Page. It’s a look at how both of them rose up the ranks and got here, with MJF getting more serious for this fight. Page on the other hand is insane most of the time so it fits him well.

The Conglomeration is ready to team with Big Boom AJ against Johnny TV and the MxM Collection at Revolution.

TNT Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Daniel Garcia

Only Garcia is defending. They go to the mat to start and wrestle to a stalemate before fighting over a crossarm choke. An exchange of armdrags lets Garcia get two so Moriarty goes to the ropes. Garcia isn’t having that and hits a running boot before hammering away in the corner. That earns him a drop onto the turnbuckle and they go outside, where Garcia hits a running boot against the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Garcia caught in an abdominal stretch, followed by some running knees to the ribs. Garcia wins a battle over a suplex and hammers away in the corner again. A neckbreaker gives Garcia two and a top rope superplex hits Moriarty. Garcia’s ribs give out on a piledriver attempt though and Moriarty plants him for two.

Back up and a discus lariat gives Garcia two and they trade rollups for two each. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and the fans approve. They strike it out until Moriarty pulls him into the Border City Stretch. That’s reversed into the Dragontamer, which is reversed back into the Border City Stretch. This time Garcia escapes and hits the piledriver to retain at 14:56.

Rating: B-. Another solid match here, though I’m not sure how much drama there was as far as a title change goes. Moriarty doesn’t mean much of anything in AEW and he gets to lose here again. I’m still not sure what the point is in having a reigning Ring Of Honor champion losing here, when Shane Taylor was right there to take the loss without devaluing a title. I know Ring Of Honor doesn’t mean anything, but could you quit reminding us that it doesn’t mean anything?

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions come in for the beatdown but the Undisputed Kingdom runs in for the save to.

Kenny Omega is ready for Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution. What happens after he takes the title? What does Don Callis want Takeshita for then? Takeshita needs to show what he can do tomorrow night.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t a bad show, but it was a lot of talking about the big matches at the pay per view with a few things here to fill in the time. What matters the most is getting things ready for Revolution and this show did it well enough. The good thing is that I’m excited for Revolution and this show was enough of a boost on some of the matches. Just get the pay per view right and things should go well.

Results
Opps b. Jack Banning/Starboy Charlie/Titus Alexander – PK to Alexander
Momo Watanabe b. Serena Deeb – Bridging half nelson suplex
Harley Cameron b. Tatevik Hunanyan – Her Finishing Move
Undisputed Kingdom b. The Infantry – High/Low to Bravo
Hologram b. Dralistico – Torture rack bomb
Outrunners b. Premiere Athletes – Total Recap to Daivari
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty – Piledriver

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision
Date: February 22, 2025
Location: Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross

We’re about two weeks away from Revolution and things picked up a bit last week at Grand Slam. We now have a few matches set for the show, with the big story still being Cope coming after Jon Moxley and the World Title. Cope seems interested in taking out the Death Riders one by one and we’ll probably see something like that here. Other than that, Chris Jericho is defending the Ring Of Honor World Title against Bandido so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Mariah May jumps Toni Storm in the back and brings her to the stage for a Storm Zero on the ramp. May demands a spotlight and, cradling Storm, says Storm never knew how to write an ending. This is their spotlight and moment so they can be stars together. They’ll have a Hollywood ending at Revolution. That should be the big ending and Storm winning there does make sense.

We look at Kazuchika Okada retaining the Continental Title over Buddy Matthews last week.

Okada says that is what you do to a b**** and he’ll do it to any other who comes after him.

Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos

Mortos wastes no time in running him over with a shoulder but misses a charge in the corner. Hologram dances around and flips off of Mortos’ chest, setting up a headscissors. Mortos is sent outside for a rope walk hurricanrana, only to grab an armdrag back inside. The Pounce sends Hologram outside for the corkscrew dive and we take a break. Back with Hologram taking him up top, where Mortos super gorilla press slams him back down.

Another hurricanrana sends Mortos outside and the big dive takes him down again. A kick to the head staggers Mortos but he grabs a crucifix driver on the ramp. Hologram grabs a Code Red on the ramp and they head back inside for a rope walk high crossbody for two on Mortos. The pop up Samoan drop gets two on Hologram but he’s back with a Spanish Fly. Another super gorilla press is countered into an anklescissors though and Hologram is back with a sunset flip for the pin at 13:51.

Rating: B. It was another good match between them but I’m only getting so much out of Hologram. He’s just kind of there to do his random matches and that’s only getting him so far. I could go for him doing something and his matches are quite entertaining, but him having a story would go a long way for him. And hopefully soon.

Post match Mortos jumps Hologram and goes for the mask but Komander makes the save.

Speedball Mike Bailey is coming. Yay.

Here is Harley Cameron for a chat. Cameron talks about a little girl who loved singing and puppets but above all else, she loved wrestling. One day she told her grandmother that she would go to America and become a wrestler. That little girl was…her next door neighbor Suzette Dickinson. Cameron doesn’t know what happened to her but she’s ready to make everyone feel her wrath. The awesomeness continues.

Gabe Kidd vs. The Butcher

Kidd strikes away in the corner to start but Butcher sends him outside. That’s shrugged off and Kidd hits a heck of a clothesline (which JR describes as “toxic”). Back in and Butcher kicks him in the face, only to get dropped by another clothesline. A piledriver finishes Butcher at 3:40.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t quite a squash but Butcher was out there for the beating and nothing more. Kidd is one of the bigger names outside of the two main promotions at the moment and it’s a nice deal to have him show up here. Kidd has some great charisma and gets your attention and I could see him being a big deal elsewhere if given the shot.

Don Callis and Kyle Fletcher are ready for Will Ospreay at Revolution in a cage. They’re going to use the cage like a Veg-O-Matic. Can we get a Double Goozle instead?

Julia Hart vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata grabs an armbar to start and wiggles her hips a bit because that’s what fun wrestlers do. A snapmare takes Hart down for a kick to the back and a double chop in the corner makes it worse. Hart knocks her down for two and we take an early break. Back with Aminata hitting a backbreaker and snapping off some suplexes for…no cover, which even commentary realizes is a bad idea. A running boot in the corner gives Aminata two but Hart kicks her down. The moonsault hits Aminata’s raised boots though and Aminata releases some German suplexes. Hart is right back up with an Octopus for the tap at 9:48.

Rating: C. Aminata is a good example of someone who can do all of the things in the ring but she’s still fairly dull. There’s nothing about her that makes her stand out and that isn’t going to leave her much to do. Hart beating her is good and it wasn’t a stretch for it to go this long, but it’s rather difficult to get invested in an Aminata match most of the time.

Murder Machines vs. ???/???

The Murder Machines beat them up on the ramp and throw them inside so destruction can ensue. The powerbomb/chokeslam combination finishes at 1:15.

Post match the Murder Machines want the Hurt Syndicate and the Tag Team Titles. Cue the Syndicate, with MVP not being impressed. MVP says if the Machines beat a REAL team next week, we’ll consider a title shot.

Action Andretti and Lio Rush are now Cru. Does every team need a name? Well in this case, yeah they really kind of did.

Thunder Rosa and Kris Statlander are ready for Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford.

Trios Titles: Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard vs. Death Riders

The Riders are defending. Parker dropkicks Yuta down to start but it’s quickly off to Castagnoli. Swiss Death puts Parker down and Garcia has to make a save. Garcia, in red and yellow, comes in to clean house but doesn’t bother to tag, meaning Parker gets beaten down even more. Parker finally gets away and brings in Menard to…get kicked in the face by Castagnoli.

Everything breaks down and Yuta and Pac get suplexed down. We take a break and come back with Yuta kicking Menard down so Pac can kick him while he’s down. Castagnoli powers Menard around and it’s back to Pac for a headlock. Pac teases a springboard dropkick but head fakes Menard, who misses a dropkick out of the air. Menard slams his way out of trouble though and it’s Garcia coming in to clean house.

Garcia rolls Yuta into the Sharpshooter and Parker takes Pac out. Castagnoli makes the save with a Jackhammer, leaving Garcia to strike it out with Yuta. Garcia gets Swung into the dropkick from Pac fort two but Menard breaks up the Black Arrow. Parker superplexes Pac for two and everyone is down. Pac is back up with the Brutalizer to make Parker tap at 16:55.

Rating: B-. This was more of a formality than anything else, with the Death Riders not being in trouble against a team including Menard and Parker. Garcia can hang with the champs long enough but that wasn’t going to be enough here. It wasn’t exactly a top level set of challengers, but I’ll take a title defense over the belts sitting cold for months on end.

Post match the hold stays on but the Undisputed Kingdom makes the save. Pac gets taken out and here is Cope to give him a pair of Conchairtos.

The Vendetta isn’t impressed with Harley Cameron.

Here is Max Caster for another open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Brody King

Caster gets his requested handshake and the pain begins in a hurry. Caster’s headlock is countered into a headscissors as the fans know that pain is coming. King sends him into the corner and finishes with the Cannonball at 1:40.

The Outrunners agree to face the Murder Machines next week. The Hurt Syndicate says the good news is if they win, they get a title shot. But the bad news is if they win, the get a title shot.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Bandido

Jericho is defending and is here on his own for a change. The fans are behind Bandido to start so Jericho goes to the eyes to take over. Bandido isn’t having that and sends him to the floor for a dive. Back in and a quick Codebreaker gives Jericho two, setting up a super hurricanrana.

We take a break and come back with the two of them striking it out with Bandido going down. Bandido is back up with a belly to back faceplant for two and they trade kicks to the face. They do their ten paces deal but Jericho reverses the knee to the face into the Walls. Bandido breaks out and grabs the one handed gorilla press into a frog splash for two.

The triangle dropkick is countered into a powerbomb for two more but Jericho bulldogs him down into the Lionsault. A flying headscissors (with a wave, called the High Spot) gets two on Bandido and they go up top for Bandido’s tabletop superplex. The 21 Plex is loaded up but Jericho reverses into a cradle to retain at 17:20.

Rating: B-. Well of course Jericho beat him. Bandido was built up for a few weeks here and then loses clean to Jericho, who counters the big finisher for the win. Jericho has already held the title for about four months and it’s only so interesting. Bandido is someone who could have gotten a big moment out of the win here but I have a feeling we’ll be waiting for Eddie Kingston to come back and beat Jericho as a real New Yorker. That’s not exactly a thrilling way to go but Jericho going over someone with that kind of potential isn’t a surprise anymore.

Overall Rating: B. Sigh inducing result of the main event aside, this was a rather good show with a bunch of solid matches. As has been the case recently, there has been a nice mixture of long and short matches to make things move that much faster. Good show here, and if they can stick the landing with a bunch of this stuff at Revolution, we could be in for one of AEW’s best runs in a long time.

Results
Hologram b. The Beast Mortos – Sunset flip
Gabe Kidd b. The Butcher – Piledriver
Julia Hart b. Queen Aminata – Octopus
Murder Machines b. ???/??? – Powerbomb/chokeslam combination
Death Riders b. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard – Brutalizer to Parker
Brody King b. Max Caster – Cannonball
Chris Jericho b. Bandido – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Grand Slam
Date: February 15, 2025
Location: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re down under for the first time in AEW’s history and that should make for quite the big show. In this case we are going to be seeing a bunch of Australians getting title shots in a rather tacked card. Other than that, we are just a few weeks away from Revolution and the show could use some build. Let’s get to it.

Don Callis Family vs. Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay

Don Callis and Mark Davis are here with Konosuke Takeshita/Kyle Fletcher. Ospreay gets shouldered down to start as the ring looks a bit smaller than usual. Back up and Ospreay hits a flipping kick to drop Fletcher, allowing the tag to Omega. Fletcher escapes You Can’t Escape so Omega settles for the Kotaro Crusher. Omega dives onto Fletcher on the floor but Takeshita cuts him off.

A top rope backsplash gives Takeshita two and a knee to the ribs gets two. The Snapdragon gets Omega out of trouble and everything breaks down with Ospreay giving Takeshita the Cheeky Nandos Kick. Everyone is own and we take a break, coming back with Ospreay chopping away at Fletcher. A powerbomb attempt is countered into a powerbomb (that was impressive) and Fletcher is down again.

Callis breaks up the Hidden Blade though and Takeshita sends Omega flying with a release German suplex. Ospreay is back up with a heck of a dive onto Fletcher on the floor, leaving Omega to V Trigger Takeshita for two. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two of his own and we need another breather. A not exactly smooth poisonrana takes Takeshita down so Omega tries a super One Winged Angel.

That’s broken up so Ospreay Hidden Blades Fletcher, only for the villains to come back with stereo Tombstones for two each. Back up and they slug it out until Takeshita knees Omega down for two. A Stundog Millionaire drops Fletcher but Takeshita breaks up the Hidden Blade. Omega sends Fletcher outside so Ospreay can hit a big flip dive over the post. Back in and a Hidden Blade/One Winged Angel combination finishes Takeshita (I would hope so) at 21:10.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was awesome and it was the kind of match that AEW has been needing. It was four guys going out there and just going nuts for over twenty minutes to pop the heck out of the crowd. Normally I would say that this should be it for the feud with the Callis Family, but the fact that it won’t be would only bring me down. This was a blast and a great opener.

TBS Title: Harley Cameron vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and poses on the top rope to start. A slam puts Cameron down again and Mone tells her to get out of her ring. Then why did you put her in the middle? It’s way too early for the Mone Maker and Cameron rubs her chest in Mone’s face. Naturally Cameron grabs her Mone puppet and hammers away in the corner, only for Mone to stomp on the puppet. The running knees in the corner give Mone two and another Meteora gets the same as we take a break.

Back with Cameron hitting a springboard bulldog and making the clothesline comeback. Mone grabs Three Amigos for the Eddie Dance but the frog splash hits knees. A baseball slide sends Cameron to the floor but she comes back with the puppet (as you do) and the fans start a FEEL THE WRATH chant. Back in and Cameron hits a Canadian Destroyer for two but Mone is back with a powerbomb. The top rope Meteora gives Mone two more so Cameron rolls her up for some near falls. A Swanton misses though and the Mone Maker retains the title at 12:52.

Rating: B. Cameron was working hard here but it probably would have been a step too far for her to win the title here. She hasn’t done much in the way of winning and while she has been on fire, having her beat Mone, even in Australia, would have stretched the realism a bit too far. That being said, Mone needs to move on already as it feels like she has been champion for about fourteen years.

Post match Mone mocks Momo Watanabe, who could get a title shot after her win at Wrestle Dynasty.

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay are happy with their win. Omega wants Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title at Revolution. Ospreay wants Kyle Fletcher in a cage that night too. As the eternal feuds continue.

We recap Cope/Jay White vs. the Death Riders. Cope and White are sick of the Death Riders (making them the voice of the people) so it’s time for a Brisbane Brawl.

Cope/Jay White vs. Death Riders

Anything goes. Cope comes out first and the fans sing his song to him which is a rather cool moment. It’s a brawl (as it’s supposed to be) before the bell, during the bell and then after the bell with the Riders getting beaten down early on. Cope and Castagnoli go into the crowd, leaving White to send Moxley into the barricade.

A dive off a balcony takes Castagnoli down but Moxley puts White onto a table. Cope is back to break up the elbow through said table though, only for Castagnoli to take White out. Moxley puts Cope through the table and we take a break. Back with Cope hammering away but getting cut down with the Paradigm Shift.

White swings away with a kendo stick for a needed breather but gets sent into a chair into the corner to cut him right back down. A quick Blade Runner hits Castagnoli so here is Wheeler Yuta to whip White with a belt. That earns him a Blade Runner of his own and Cope spears Castagnoli through a table in the corner. Cope whips out a barbed wire chair to cut Moxley’s back open but Marina Shafir is in with a briefcase shot. Moxley chokes Cope 14:41.

Rating: B. It was another wild brawl and of course the Death Riders get the win because they’re all violent and hardcore. I’m not sure why Moxley choking Cope out a few weeks before their title match is supposed to make me want to see them fight again, but did I mention how violent Moxley is? And the villains have the briefcase back, making that whole thing quite the nothing story point.

Post match Moxley keeps up the choke until he just lets go.

International Title: Buddy Matthews vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending and naturally flips Matthews off rather than shaking his hand. Matthews takes him up against the ropes for a slap on the chest, with Okada flinching a bit. The dropkick misses for Okada but the stomp misses for Matthews and they go to a kneeling standoff. This time Matthews flips him off so Okada tries to walk off, earning him the designation of a w*****.

Okada comes back in so Matthews knees away, sending him right back to the floor for a needed breather. Back in and the dropkick sends Matthews off the top and to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Matthews hitting a top rope Meteora for two but Okada neckbreakers him down. The top rope elbow (more of a falling one than anything resembling a jump) lets Okada flip him off again, only for Matthews to grab the finger.

That’s broken up and Okada hits a quick Rainmaker for two, leaving him stunned, despite it rarely working the first time. The stomp and Matthews’ Law give Matthews two and the fans are NOT pleased. Back up and a superplex into the Jackhammer gives Matthews two more so he grabs the Prism Trap. Nigel: “Something of a tribute!” With the directionless tribute over (yes I know what he meant), Okada kicks him low and hits the Rainmaker to retain at 13:24.

Rating: B-. This had its moments but Okada doing the middle finger thing so often has lost its appeal over time. Other than that, it was Matthews doing his usually awesome stuff and looking good, though Okada has to hold the title for the better part of ever. Another Australian loses their title shot and I’m sure it should set up a big title change in the main event, but it’s also a bit disheartening.

Since just having Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the title at Revolution is to easy, we’re getting an International Championship Series, with Roderick Strong vs. Orange Cassidy taking place next week on Dynamite, with the winner of that getting a title shot against Takeshita the next week. The winner of that gets Omega at Revolution, meaning that somehow the person who issued a challenge is in the title match (with his one singles win in over a year), but the champion has to earn his way in. Because AEW.

We recap Toni Storm challenging Mariah May for the Women’s Title. May beat her for the title, but Storm came back and faked amnesia to get the title back, despite already having the title match.

Women’s Title: Mariah May vs. Toni Storm

Storm is challenging and is introduced by Luther. They stare at each other to start with Storm taking her into the corner to take over fast. Storm has to be dragged off so May is back up with a Sling Blade into a dropkick into the corner. May Day is countered into a German suplex and Storm snaps off five more of them to really prove her point. They go outside with May sending her into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Storm hitting some clotheslines before grabbing an STF. The rope gets May out of trouble and she grabs May Day on the floor to leave them both down. Back in and May dropkicks her into the corner but Storm is back up with the running hip attack. May grabs a pair of May Days for two so she yells at the referee, who shoves her back down. A Stratusphere is broken up and Storm hits a powerbomb into Storm Zero, with May rolling outside. Back in and May gets in a Storm Zero of her own, only for Storm to small package her to get the title back at 15:45.

Rating: B-. That was a really weird ending as Storm hit her finish but May was right back up, leaving Storm to win on almost a fluke ending. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want Storm to win dominantly in front of her home country crowd but at least we’re…back to where we were for months on end with Storm as champion. It’s the big feel good moment for the live fans, but Timeless Toni as champion has been done for a good while.

Overall Rating: A-. For a special show that aired on free TV, they nailed this with nothing close to a bad match and the big moment at the end. As usual, AEW is at its best when they ignore almost anything involving storylines and have a wrestling heavy show, and that’s pretty much everything they were doing here. Pretty awesome show, with the opener being great and the rest being more than good enough.

Results
Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay b. Don Callis Family – Hidden Blade/One Winged Angel combination to Takeshita
Mercedes Mone b. Harley Cameron – Mone Maker
Death Riders b. Cope/Jay White via referee stoppage
Kazuchika Okada b. Buddy Matthews – Rainmaker
Toni Storm b. Mariah May – Small package

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Dynamite
Date: February 12, 2025
Location: HEB Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the go home show for Grand Slam, which is going to be a big deal as the company goes down to Australia. In this case, we’re taped for a change and that could make for an interesting show. There are two title matches, including the Trios Titles being on the line for the first time in months. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We get a weird opening featuring some people on the card with no audio. I’m thinking this was supposed to have a voiceover from commentary but otherwise it’s just kind of strange.

Here is Max Caster for his latest open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Hangman Page

Caster bails to the crowd to start but comes back in to snap off a hurricanrana. Page pops up and drops Caster, setting up the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 1:11. Yep that works.

Video on Ricochet stealing Prince Nana’s robe last week, with Nana saying Swerve Strickland doesn’t need to make everything personal. Swerve points out what happened when he let Hangman Page get away with making things personal.

Trios Titles: Undisputed Kingdom vs. Death Riders

The Death Riders are defending and believe it or not, we start with a brawl on the floor. We take a break about thirty seconds in and come back with O’Reilly in trouble. The champs take turns striking away in the corner, with Castagnoli grabbing a sleeper. O’Reilly fights out of that and brings in Strong to clean house with a series of backbreakers.

Everything breaks down and it’s back to Strong, who is stomped down in the corner again. A Hart Attack gets two and Pac grinds away on a headlock for a bit. Triple running elbows hit Strong in the corner and we take another break. Back again with Strong fighting off Yuta and bringing Cole in to clean house.

Pac gets superkicked out of the air and some triple strikes put Yuta down for two. Everything breaks down (again) and the Fastball Special is broken up. High/Low hits Yuta for two but Castagnoli Swings Strong into the barricade. The referee intercepts a chair but Yuta goes low and small packages Strong to retain at 17:12.

Rating: B. It was a fun match but when the titles hadn’t been defended in three months, it’s hard to make myself care about them when they’re just thrown out here. The Kingdom are good challenges for something like this and they worked well here, but the Trios Titles stopped feeling important months ago. It was good action, though the story didn’t work so well due to the titles being devalued for such a long time.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Matt Menard, Daniel Garcia and Angelo Parker make the save. I would hope AEW has better options for the next challengers.

Cope and Jay White steal the briefcase from Marina Shafir. Jon Moxley isn’t pleased.

Grand Slam rundown.

MJF is ready for Dustin Rhodes but Hangman Page cuts him off, saying this is his interview. MJF isn’t impressed and says this isn’t the real Page. These people deserve an apology and MJF is going to beat Dustin and get a step closer to getting the World Title back. Unlike Page.

Katsuyori Shibata/Hook/Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz/Rosario Grillo/Aaron Solo

Joe beats them up, Hook gets in a suplex, Shibata chops a lot, Cruz thinks forearming Joe is a good idea, the MuscleBuster finishes Cruz at 1:41.

Post match Joe talks about how they always have problems and their solution is always beating people up. That brings him to Christian Cage and the Patriarchy and the challenge is on, with the team being named the Ops (?).

Chris Jericho challenges Bandido to a duel.

Marina Shafir jumps Willow Nightingale and Jon Moxley makes threats.

Here is Chris Jericho for the duel with Bandido and for once, he’s alone. Cue Bandido and they go back to back for the ten paces. Then the Learning Tree runs in for the beatdown, only for the Outrunners to make the save. Big Bill goes to collect the bounty but Powerhouse Hobbs comes in for the spinebuster to put Bill down. Bandido does in fact get his hat back. This wasn’t exactly great, but they didn’t waste time.

Dustin Rhodes is ready to take out MJF. B****.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Dustin Rhodes

They go nose to nose to start, which is impressive as Dustin is a good bit taller. Dustin snaps off the powerslam and MJF bails to the floor, where he snaps Dustin’s arm across the top. Back in and we hit the rather logical armbar before Dustin’s sunset flip attempt is easily cut off with another snap of the arm. Dustin fights up and manages a powerbomb but needs a breather because of the arm.

A boot to the head lets Dustin hammer away in the corner and there’s the bulldog to drop MJF again. Cross Rhodes gives Dustin two and MJF’s piledriver gets the same, with the latter looking stunned. With nothing else working, MJF grabs a chair for some Pillmanizing but Dustin reverses it into Shattered Dreams. The Final Reckoning gets two and MJF cranks the arm again. MJF hits his own Final Reckoning for his own two before grabbing the Salt Of The Earth. That’s switched into a crossface and Dustin is out at 11:15.

Rating: B. I’m still not big on Dustin, but he was trying here and he made MJF look good in defeat. This is more what Dustin is made for these days rather than whatever he’s doing in Ring Of Honor. MJF is at a weird point right now as this feud and the one with Jeff Jarrett have felt like filler. Thankfully there might be something with Hangman Page, but this was a weird way to set that up. Still though, good, emotional match here with Dustin trying to fight through the pain but falling short in the end.

Post match MJF grabs the Salt Of The Earth again but Hangman Page makes the save. The brawl is on and security can’t break it up so they head into the crowd. Security finally separates them and MJF poses, because of course. MJF gets back in the ring and calls out Page…who gets back in the ring to keep up the brawl. Thank goodness Page was there, as it’s not like one of Dustin’s three partners was going to make the save.

Video on Grand Slam.

Post break, we look at what we just saw.

Megan Bayne vs. Maya World

Bayne drives her into the corner to start and snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Some shoulders to the ribs in the corner have World in more trouble and an F5 finishes for Bayne at 1:55. That’s how Bayne should be going at the moment.

Kris Statlander vs. Penelope Ford

Statlander and Bayne have a staredown during Statlander’s entrance. Ford begging off in the corner to start doesn’t work so well for her as Statlander grabs a headlock. Statlander powers out of a headscissors so Ford licks her cheek. It seems to work as Statlander misses a charge into the corner, only for a basement dropkick to drop Ford.

We take a break and come back with Ford grabbing a neckbreaker out of the corner for two. Statlander German suplexes her for the same but Ford snaps off a poisonrana. That’s enough for Statlander though, who comes back with the Wednesday Night Fever for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better Ford matches so far as she can get somewhere good if she is given the right circumstances. That is what we had here, as Statlander has been able to do some rather nice things in the ring. Statlander needed a bit of a boost before she’s Bayne’s first victim and this did well enough.

Post match Megan Bayne comes back out to F5 Statlander on the floor.

We get a Harley Cameron music video (yes with the puppet) mocking Mercedes Mone. Then we cut to Cameron being rather serious and talking about how she is glad Mone pushed her to becoming better. Now it’s time for her to win the TBS Title in her home country. If this were pretty much any other champion than Mone, I could believe the title change could happen but that just doesn’t feel realistic.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. The Gunns

The Syndicate is defending and the fans chant for MVP, who is here with the champions. Lashley shoulders Colten down to start and it’s off to Austin, who wants to think about this. Austin gets tossed outside for a beating from Benjamin and we take an early break. Back with Benjamin working on Austin’s arm but a neckbreaker gives Austin a breather.

Lashley isn’t about to give up a tag and cuts Austin off, only for Austin to dive over him for the tag off to Colten. Benjamin grabs the ankle lock but Austin makes the fast save. The Fameasser gets two on Benjamin, who is right back up with a superkick. Lashley comes back in with a spinebuster and the spear for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. They were trying here but the Guns were little more than the first victims for the new champions. It worked about as well as could be expected, but the Gunns are already pretty low down on the list of champions. That didn’t make them feel like the strongest challengers here, though the match could have been far worse.

Post match Brian Cage and Lance Archer come out for the staredown.

Mariah May is ready to take out Toni Storm, who is nothing without her. Storm is going down, and it’s going to be a mercy killing.

Here are Jay White and Cope with the briefcase. Cope teases opening the briefcase but busts out his 2×4 with nails (Spike), threatening the briefcase unless Moxley gets out here. Cue Moxley with the Death Riders, who talks about how Cope has no idea how much the title means to him. Moxley threatens to break Cope’s neck and gives him the title match at Revolution. Cope crushes the briefcase with Spike as White cuts off Wheeler Yuta. Pac’s distraction lets Marina Shafir get the briefcase but Cope and White take them out to end the show. So Moxley loves the title so much that he doesn’t want people to see it?

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling carried this one here, as tends to be the case in AEW, as there were two rather good matches and some more which were just a step beneath them. It also feels like we’re getting some more traditional squashes sprinkled in, as they help move the show along a bit. Just find something more interesting than the Death Riders and AEW could be on a roll rather quickly.

Results
Hangman Page b. Max Caster – Buckshot Lariat
Death Riders b. Undisputed Kingdom – Small package to Strong
Katsuyori Shibata/Hook/Samoa Joe b. Jon Cruz/Rosario Grillo/Aaron Solo – MuscleBuster to Cruz
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Dustin Rhodes via referee stoppage
Megan Bayne b. Maya World – F5
Kris Statlander b. Penelope Ford – Wednesday Night Fever
Hurt Syndicate b. The Gunns – Spear to Austin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision
Date: February 8, 2025
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Grand Slam and the show is mostly set up. The question now becomes what happens with everything already on the card but there is still the chance that something else is added tonight. Odds are we’ll get some good action as that tends to be the norm around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Mark Briscoe and Kyle Fletcher are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Death Riders to jump security and get in the ring. Jon Moxley isn’t about to give Cope (or Adam Copeland) a title shot. Instead a tag match is set up for Grand Slam.

We run down the card.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Strong and Taylor start things off, with Strong managing to kick him into the corner to start the beating. O’Reilly comes in but gets caught in the corner so the Infantry can start firing off the running forearms. Parker and Menard take over on Dean though, only for Menard to jump on commentary and brag about his team. Garcia comes in and hammers on Dean in the corner but it’s back to Taylor for a headbutt. The Promotions get to pose a lot and we take a break.

Back with Garcia suplexing his way to freedom and the Kingdom coming in to beat on the Infantry. Everything breaks down and the posing Cole gets rolled up for two, followed by a double clothesline to leave everyone down. Back up and the nine way brawl is on, with Garcia getting double stomped down hard. Taylor gets jumped on the floor, leaving Dean to get caught with the Boom to give Cole the pin at 13:15.

Rating: C+. There were a lot of people involved here and that made things a bit tricky to follow. You can only get so much out of this much, but maybe it leads to the Kingdom getting to do something more. Other than that, the Promotions get to lose again, which is probably the only reason they were there in the first place.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat down the Kingdom. The beatdown is on, but Cole issues the challenge for the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Video on FTR.

Max Cater says his open challenge is still set for Dynamite.

Bandido vs. Bryan Keith

The slugout is on with Keith knocking Bandido’s hat off, which isn’t the best way to bring him back to action. Back up and Bandido knocks him down but gets knocked out of the air as we take a break. We come back with Bandido hitting a spinning high crossbody into a one armed gorilla press for two.

Keith catches him on top with a high collar superplex and they’re both down again. They trade kicks to the head, then go back to back, nod at each other, march away, and hit running strikes for a double knockdown. Back up and Bandido flips him into a knee to the head, setting up the 21 Plex for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. The showdown spot was funny enough and that’s all it needed to be. You had a logical match here and it worked out well, with Bandido getting a win on the way back. There is a good chance that Bandido gets the next title shot against Chris Jericho and having him win over Jericho’s good makes sense.

Powerhouse Hobbs challenges Big Bill for Dynamite.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Ares Alexander/Jay Alexander/Brick Savage

Ares gets planted with a pop up Samoan drop and the Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:24.

Post match the beatdown is on but Komander makes the save. Komander gets beaten down as well, with Hologram returning to make the save. Rush beats up some referees because he has to look strong. Komander getting beaten up is almost a free spot on the AEW Bingo card these days.

Thunder Rosa and Megan Bayne have a bit of a staredown before Rosa talks about being ready for Penelope Ford.

And now here is Harley Cameron for a concert, complete with the Mercedes Mone puppet. First up, she sings a song called The Money Train, which consists of saying the title over and over. Cue Mercedes Mone to interrupt, saying everyone is here to see her. The second song is about how Mone is scared to feel the wrath but Mone cuts her off, saying Cameron is a loser.

Cameron goes on a rant about how she’s worked hard to get here and has had her hand up Mone’s puppet’s a**. A mic shot puts Mone down and she agrees to the title match at Grand Slam. I could have gone for more of Cameron, but that would mean less Mone and that is just not ok.

We get a sitdown interview with Buddy Matthews and…an empty chair which is supposed to contain Kazuchika Okada. Eventually Okada strolls in, with Mathews talking about how it’s Australia’s best vs. Japan’s best. They go nose to nose and Okada calls him a b****, only for Matthews to make him flinch off the threat of violence.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Izzy James

Cross Rhodes and the Final Reckoning finish James at 25 seconds.

Post match Rhodes talks about how MJF calls himself the Devil but Rhodes has already beaten the Devil up. He has been doing this in five decades and put in the effort and MJF can’t do the same thing. Rhodes issues the challenge for next week on Dynamite.

The Death Riders are ready to beat the Undisputed Kingdom next week.

Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford

A local sports mascot comes out with Rosa, who fights over a lockup with Ford to start. Rosa goes up top but gets forearmed outside as we take an early break. Back with Ford getting two off a gutbuster but missing a charge into the post. Rosa’s running dropkick connects against the ropes and a northern lights suplex gets two. Ford is back up with a handspring elbow in the corner and a lick to Rosa’s face (yep) sets up a missed moonsault. Back up and Ford hits a quick dropkick only to get caught in a Tijuana Bomb to give Rosa the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Yes Ford loses a fairly big match. I’m not sure why this should be even slightly surprising, as that is just what she does every time she’s out there. The match was fine, though I kept waiting for the mascot to do something. It’s a good enough match, ubt Rosa seems to be set up for a big match with Megan Bayne instead.

Post match Megan Bayne comes out for the staredown, with Ford jumping Rosa from behind. Bayne drops Rosa with an F5.

We look at Ricochet cheating to beat Swerve Strickland and stealing Prince Nana’s robe. Then over the weekend, Strickland attacked Ricochet at an independent show but couldn’t get the robe back.

Someone named Bun B is here but Ricochet interrupts and mocks him for being Strickland’s friend. Ricochet tries a burger that Bun seems to have provided and spits it out. Ricochet beats up the food worker as Bun isn’t happy.

Mariah May vs. Shay KarMichael

Non-title and a running knee sets up May Day to finish KarMichael at 24 seconds.

Post match May attacks KarMichael with lipstick but here is Luther (Toni Storm’s butler) for a distraction. Cue Storm to jump May, sending her running.

The Don Callis Family beats up various people backstage, with Mark Davis joining in.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher strikes away in the corner to start but Briscoe is back up in a hurry. Briscoe knocks him to the floor and loads up a table, only to get launched head first into the post. An apron bomb rocks Briscoe and we take a break, coming back with Briscoe, head being rather busted open.

A double clothesline leaves both of them down before Briscoe grabs a suplex for two. Fletcher is back with a flipping butterfly powerbomb for two but Briscoe catches him with a fisherman’s buster. The Froggy Bow is broken up but so is the counter, only for Fletcher to come back with a brainbuster for two.

Briscoe knocks him off the top and out to the floor, where a Froggy Bow sends a standing Fletcher through the table. Back in and a super Jay Driller is broken up, allowing Fletcher to catch him on top instead. Fletcher hits a brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle to knock Briscoe silly for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up pretty well and that’s all it needed to be. Fletcher was doing his usual thing, while Briscoe was doing the same, which means looking good in defeat. This is a way to tie things together with the Continental Classic, but at the same time it would be nice to see Briscoe get another win here or there.

Post match Fletcher promises to win at Grand Slam.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show here and I liked having some of those matches go short. There was no reason for those to go long and thankfully they got to the point, which made things that much better. It makes you wonder how long a match will go while still being effective. That’s something AEW has been missing and it helped things here. Good enough show here, with some stuff being advanced for the upcoming bigger events.

Results
Undisputed Kingdom b. Shane Taylor Promotions and Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Boom to Dean
Bandido b. Bryan Keith – 21 Plex
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Ares Alexander/Jay Alexander/Brick Savage – Bull’s Horns to Ares
Dustin Rhodes b. Izzy James – Final Reckoning
Thunder Rosa b. Penelope Ford – Tijuana Bomb
Mariah May b. Shay KarMichael – May Day
Kyle Fletcher b. Mark Briscoe – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: February 5, 2025
Location: Gateway Arena Center At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We are just over a week away from Grand Slam and that means it is time to finish hammering home the card. Most of it is either set or almost set, which leaves a few spots to be filled in. There is a chance that we get something new added this week, though it could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Renee Paquette talks to Jay White, who says he has to rely on Rated FTR to take out the Death Riders. Cue the Death Riders and cue Rated FTR to even things up, with the brawl coming into the arena. Yuta gets taken out and Cope adds a spear to send the villains running. With the Riders out in t he crowd, Cope again issues the challenge for a World Title shot at Revolution. That’s a no from Moxley, so White issues a challenge for a tag match at Grand Slam.

We run down tonight’s card.

Buddy Matthews challenges Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Title again, with Okada saying no again.

Will Ospreay vs. ???

It’s the newest member of the Don Callis family….Mark Davis. Ospreay isn’t happy and gets chopped down as Callis is on commentary, talking about how he signed Aussie Open so he owns Davis. Back up and Davis knocks him into the corner before hitting a suplex. Ospreay is back up with a Phenomenal Forearm though and we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting a DDT to send Davis outside, with the big dive taking him down again. Back in and Ospreay strikes away, only to get piledriven for two. Davis yells at the referee and thanks to the distraction, gets taken down by the Hidden Blade for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Having Davis as the newest member of the team is something that makes sense, but egads it doesn’t do much for the interest. It wasn’t a bad match, but I could go a very long time without seeing Ospreay dealing with anything related to Callis again. Just get to the tag match and let that be enough already.

Post match Ospreay grabs the mic and says that he and his new friend will take out the Don Callis Family in Australia. Cue Kenny Omega to say he’s back and ready to fight. He hits his catchphrase and a lot of pyro goes off, with Omega saying it surprised him.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet, complete with clips from their issues before they got to AEW.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to celebrate their title win. Private Party was a good team, but the Syndicate is going to take out anyone who comes after them. They are open or business, so here are the Gunns to interrupt. The Gunns want their titles back and say that hurting someone is the point of being in wrestling. MVP agrees to the title match, even if they are a couple of “A** Boys.” Austin says something in response but it’s censored, even with the fans cheering rather loudly. Simple and to the point here.

Harley Cameron, with her Mercedes Mone puppet, are ready for Cameron’s concert on Collision. Mone comes in to mock Cameron for only getting her first win. Now stay away from her locker room.

Hangman Page isn’t going to accept the idea of feeling sorry for Swerve Strickland. He took out Christopher Daniels but here is Max Caster to say it’s his time for an interview. A match seems made for later.

Don Callis Family vs. Hounds Of Hell

Fletcher works on Matthews’ arm to start but it’s quickly off to Takeshita, who gets to slug away at King. Everything breaks down and they all fight to the floor, where King puts both villains in the same chair for a running crossbody. We take a break and come back with King fighting out of the corner, including a hard clothesline to Takeshita.

A German suplex doesn’t do much to King so they clothesline each other down. Matthews’ running flip dive to the floor takes both of them out again…and here is Kazuchika Okada for the interruption. Takeshita hits a dropkick/top rope backsplash combination, setting up a hanging DDT for two on King. An assisted brainbuster finishes King at 14:14.

Rating: B. Good match here, but I’m not sure about the logic behind having the Hounds lose so soon into their new run. It seems rather early for them to lose and that isn’t the most logical way to go. Hopefully they get a nice win sooner than later, because otherwise I’m not sure I get the thinking.

Hook and Samoa Joe go to find Christian Cage but have to settle for beating up his minions. With Hook and Joe gone, Cage and Mother Wayne come in to survey the damage.

Here is MJF for a chat. MJF blames Jeff Jarrett for his issues and reminds Jarrett that the E in AEW isn’t for “elderly”. No one is on his level so here is Max Caster to interrupt. Cue Hangman Page to go after Caster but he gets in MJF’s face instead. With Page gone, Dustin Rhodes (erg) cuts off the catchphrase and believe it or not, he’s in a bad mood. Rhodes gets on MJF for insulting Owen Hart’s memory because that was Rhodes’ friend.

Stop talking about people who have substance abuse issues because Rhodes is sixteen years sober. Rhodes talks about how he’s been here for a long time and is still just as good as ever. MJF mocks Rhodes for thinking he’s better before saying it took 37 years for Rhodes to get out of his father’s shadow. Now he’s in his little brother’s shadow and the brawl is on, with security breaking it up. Nice promo from Rhodes, but not enough to overcome the fact that it’s Dustin Rhodes.

Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata

Mariah May is on commentary…and Storm is dressed as May. Storm has the mannerisms and look down, with the real May looking furious. They fight over a headlock to start with Storm taking her down as May vents about how she did this months ago. And where did she get that outfit? Aminata sends her into the ropes but gets hip attacked out to the floor. Back up and Aminata hits a suicide dive, taking off some of Storm’s hair extensions with her.

We take a break and come back with May complaining that Storm doesn’t have the chest to make the impression work. Storm Zero is countered into a rollup to give Aminata two and they trade the big forearms. Aminata knocks her into the corner for the running shot to the face but Storm hits a DDT. The running knee sets up May Day for the pin on Aminata at 9:05.

Rating: C. This was two things at once, as Storm absolutely nailed everything about May and was doing a pretty awesome impression. The problem, which tends to be a recurring issue in AEW, was having Aminata hang in there with the #1 contender for almost ten minutes. This should have been Storm massacring someone while having fun but instead we get this, which felt like it was more about building Aminata than anything else. They missed badly with this one, which is a shame as Storm was great.

Post match Renee Paquette gets in and Storm insists that she is Mariah May. The real May gets on the apron but walks off instead.

Dustin Rhodes wants to fight MJF.

Video on Big Bill vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, with Bandido returning last weekend.

The Learning Tree gives us a live New York Minute and doesn’t like Bandido being back. Jericho issues a $200,000 bounty for Bandido so Bryan Keith can collect it. Cue Powerhouse Hobbs to go after Bill, with the Outrunners coming in to even things up. Bill and Hobbs brawl around ringside and we take a break.

Post break the brawl is still having to be broken up.

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet

Ricochet chairs Strickland from behind before the bell, setting up Vertigo for two at the bell. A backbreaker keeps Strickland in trouble and a running dropkick sends him to the floor. They go to the barricade where Strickland powerbombs his way out of a hurricanrana (that looked great). Ricochet gets sent into the corner and we take a break.

Back with Ricochet hitting a Codebreaker out of the corner, followed by a backbreaker. Both of them escape powerbombs until Strickland grabs a World’s Strongest Slam for two. The House Call into he Swerve Stomp gets two on Ricochet, who is right back up with a springboard 450. The shooting star press gives Ricochet two more but the Spirit Gun is countered with a House Call. Strickland tries the Stomp but Ricochet gets his fists up for a low blow. The Spirit Gun finishes Strickland at 13:24.

Rating: B. The build to this match was a bit odd with the gold scissors coming out of nowhere, but what mattered here was having a fight for the match itself. That’s what we got here and it worked well, making this feel like a main event which had been set up. Good, hard hitting fight, but dang enough with Strickland losing.

Post match Ricochet steals Prince Nana’s robe to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Oddly enough, the show with the least Death Riders involvement is one of the better shows AEW has had in a bit. They had some good matches here and while there was a bit to much Don Callis Family for my liking, this was a show that kept me interested throughout. What mattered here was setting up more for Grand Slam, which should be going well. Nice stuff here, and again, how nice it was to not deal with the Death Riders.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Mark Davis – Hidden Blade
Don Callis Family b. Hounds Of Hell – Assisted brainbuster to King
Toni Storm b. Queen Aminata – May Day
Ricochet b. Swerve Strickland – Spirit Gun

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Dynamite
Date: January 29, 2025
Location: Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We are closing in on Grand Slam and that means it is time to start hammering down the card. One of the biggest matches is already set as the once again Timeless Toni Storm will be challenging Mariah May for the Women’s Title. We also have a big tag match already set but there is a lot left to cover. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage

Lance Archer is here with Cage and Don Callis is on commentary. Hold on though as Callis points us to the screen, showing Kenny Omega having been attacked backstage. Ospreay snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana to start fast and they head outside, where Cage gets posted. Ospreay tries a Blockbuster off the barricade but Cage pulls him out of the air, walks him around the ring, and then hits a suplex on the floor. Archer gets in a cheap shot and Cage adds a leg lariat for two back inside.

Back to back backbreakers give Cage two and we hit the bearhug. Ospreay fights out and hits a handspring elbow before sending Cage outside. The Sasuke Special connects, only for Cage to hit his apron superplex to bring him back inside. Ospreay kicks him in the face a few times but gets powerbombed for his efforts. A middle rope F5 (that looked good) gets two and Archer gets caught shoving the foot off the ropes. Ospreay sends them into each other and hits the Styles Clash for the pin at 12:46.

Rating: B-. Nice back and forth match here, with Ospreay not exactly feeling in jeopardy but rather having to find a way to get around all those muscles. That’s a fine way to go and lets Ospreay look good in the process. The big match is coming in a few weeks, but my goodness it will be nice to get away from this feud for good.

Post match Archer comes in for the save but Kenny Omega makes the save with a chair. The rest of the Don Callis Family comes in and beats the heroes down. Stereo piledrivers leave them laying. This went on for awhile, much like anything involving the Family.

Hangman Page can’t find Swerve Strickland but he runs into MJF. With Page gone, MJF says no one is ruining his mood tonight because Jeff Jarrett is going to lose to Claudio Castagnoli.

Powerhouse Hobbs isn’t cleared to travel this week but he’s coming for Big Bill.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jeff Jarrett

If Jarrett wins, he gets a World Title shot. Jarrett starts fast with an armdrag and hiptoss before hammering away in the corner. The threat of a Figure Four sends Castagnoli bailing and we take an early break. Back with Wheeler Yuta at ringside and Jarrett fighting out of a chinlock. Jarrett grabs a Russian legsweep and hammers away but can’t get the Figure Four.

An enziguri misses though and Castagnoli gives him the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter. Jarrett reverses into one of his own so Yuta sends in a chair for a distraction. Somehow the referee doesn’t notice Jon Moxley running in with the Paradigm Shift, setting up the Neutralizer to give Castagnoli the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C+. So the monster heel needed help to beat the old, past his prime star? This felt like just another reason to have the Death Riders out there getting in another beatdown. It’s also another way to crush something the fans are getting behind, which falls in line with the “we don’t like fun around here” style.

Post match MJF comes out to deck Jarrett with the ring. He respects his elders and that’s why he isn’t going to say he told Jarrett so.

Ricochet is going to deal with AR Fox and then move on to Swerve Strickland.

Ricochet vs. AR Fox

They start fast with Fox hitting something like a Stunner, setting up a swinging suplex. The fight heads outside with Fox chopping away, only to get hiptossed onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Ricochet hitting a People’s Moonsault for two. Fox fights up and slugs away, setting up stereo crossbodies for a double down. Ricochet slips out of a package piledriver to start but Fox puts him down for a 450. A fireman’s carry is loaded up so Ricochet grabs the referee to escape. The Recoil into the Spirit Gun into Vertigo finishes Fox at 11:01.

Rating: B-. I have no idea what else you were expecting here as this was exactly what you would have thought it would be. They did their flips, Ricochet won, it was entertaining. This was all it needed to be as Ricochet gets a win, though he wasn’t exactly being a big time villain here after his major turn.

Post match Swerve Strickland runs in with a chain but Ricochet busts out the scissors and uses Fox as a hostage/human shield to escape.

Jon Moxley won’t show the World Title because he is the World Title. He is forged in combat and wants 1000 of himself.

Chris Jericho says Roll Toad but isn’t happy with Big Bill for not being up Powerhouse Hobbs.

Jay White vs. Wheeler Yuta

Schiavone: “Well, here come the Death Riders again.” Yuta tries to jump him before the bell but has to bail from the threat of a Blade Runner. They trade headlocks to start until White crotches him on top in the corner and chops away on the floor. Yuta starts going after the knee to take over and a fisherman’s suplex gets two back inside. Excalibur sends us to a break but we stick around for another minute or so with Yuta staying on the leg.

We finally do take the break and come back with White breaking up a superplex and hitting one of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Yuta takes him down for the elbows to the face. Yuta tries the running knee but gets reversed into the Blade Runner for the pin at 13:34.

Rating: C+. This was good enough with White likely on the way to the title shot at Grand Slam. That is the kind of thing that is going to build up a title match like that and it should go well until Moxley gets to retain again. White is someone who feels like he can be raised up quickly and this was a good step forward for him.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the beatdown but Rated FTR makes the save. Harwood doesn’t like what happened to Ricky Morton and wants the Death Riders in a Mid-South street fight. The match is going to be in Huntsville but I guess Continental street fight doesn’t have the same ring.

We recap Toni Storm revealing that she is still Timeless in a bit of a confusing result.

Here is Mariah May to insist that Toni Storm is not real. May brings up beating Storm, who can’t win anything lately. May doesn’t need to cosplay because she is the best of the world.

The Gunns are coming back.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

We look at the Hurt Syndicate winning the Tag Team Titles.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita.

We look back at various things from earlier tonight.

The Vendetta yell about Harley Cameron and are ready for revenge on Collision.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Mone is defending and gets wristlocked to start. Back up and Mone runs her over, meaning we get a bit of a dance. Sakazaki’s basement clothesline is cut off and they fight outside with Mone taking over. A Meteora off the apron connects to put Sakazaki down and we take a break.

Back with Sakazaki hitting a brainbuster for two but Mone grabs Three Amigos for the knockdown. A superplex hits for Sakazaki and she grabs a spinning faceplant for two. The Statement Maker is broken up so Sakazaki kicks her in the head and gets two off a rollup. Mone hits a powerbomb into the Mone Maker to retain at 13:33.

Rating: B-. As usual, Sakazaki is fine enough to good in the ring because she is talented. The problem is she’s just dropped into the title picture after not being around for months. She has never been established as a big deal around here so it’s hard to care about seeing her getting a title shot and then losing. The match was good enough, even if there was still no reason to believe Mone was losing.

Overall Rating: C+. And here we have the latest night of heel dominance, which is par for the course around here. It’s just what we see and that gets tiring in a hurry. Other than White winning and getting to stand tall (with help), it was mostly the villains getting in everything they did and having little comeuppance (even Ospreay got beaten down after being Cage). It was another skippable show and that is happening fairly often in AEW these days.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Brian Cage – Styles Clash
Claudio Castagnoli b. Jeff Jarrett – Neutralizer
Ricochet b. AR Fox – Vertigo
Jay White b. Wheeler Yuta – Blade Runner
Mercedes Mone b. Yuka Sakazaki – Mone Maker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision
Date: January 25, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s Homecoming because we can’t go a week without some kin of special show. It is nice to be back in Daily’s Place though as we should be in for a fun show. We are less than a month away from Grand Slam and it should be time to start getting the rest of the card put together so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Patriarchy, Toni Storm, Mariah May and Samoa Joe are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Jim Ross is back. That’s nice to see.

Samoa Joe vs. Nick Wayne

The rest of the Patriarchy is here so Katsuyori Shibata and Hook come out to even things up. You know, assuming Joe wouldn’t be able to smash the entire team on his own. Wayne strikes away to start but misses a shoulder, allowing Joe to hit a backsplash. The early MuscleBuster is broken up and Joe’s leg is wrapped around the ropes. Wayne hits a dive to the floor and it’s time to say on the leg. Joe isn’t having this though as he knocks Wayne back and hits the MuscleBuster for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. That’s what this should have been as Wayne was going to be little more than an annoyance to Joe at best. Joe shrugged off whatever Wayne threw at him and finished him in a hurry. There is no point in making this overly complicated and that is what they made work here. Joe is going to be on his way to something better so smashing the Patriarchy on the way there isn’t a bad idea.

We recap Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay brawling with the Don Callis Family on Dynamite, setting up the tag match at Grand Slam.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Komander

Non-title. Komander starts fast with a knockdown and reverses a suplex into a quickly broken choke. Okada isn’t having this and kicks him in the face before going outside. A DDT plants Komander hard and we take an early break. Back with Komander grabbing an X Factor out of a powerbomb and picking up the pace. Okada’s White Noise onto the knee sets up the top rope elbow but the Rainmaker is blocked. Komander grabs a hurricanrana to the floor and hits a moonsault, only to get Rainmakered for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: B-. Hey look: a Ring Of Honor champion loses AGAIN, but we’re still expected to pay to watch that the show. There was no reason for Komander to be Okada’s latest victim here as the champion vs. champion aspect wasn’t much of a bonus. But why let common sense get in the way of something Tony Khan thinks is cool?

Powerhouse Hobbs and Big Bill get in a fight in the parking lot. They hit each other with metal objects, including a gate that Hobbs rips off a fence. Security breaks it up.

The Costco Guys are back but get interrupted by the Undisputed Kingdom for a Boom off.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Oh hey Parker still works here. Garcia headlocks Cole over to start but they pop up for a staredown. Strong and Menard come in with the former working on a wristlock before grinding on a headlock. Garcia comes in and is quickly backdropped to the floor, where he gets in an argument with Shane Taylor Promotions. We take a break and come back with Garcia hammering on O’Reilly in the corner. O’Reilly fights out without much trouble and hands it back to Cole for a slugout with Garcia. Everything breaks down and Parker is faceplanted for two. A superkick cuts off Garcia and the high/low finishes Parker at 9:55.

Rating: C. This was little more than a handicap match as there was no reason to believe that Parker and Menard were going to be a real threat to the Kingdom. In theory one of these three could be coming after Garcia’s TNT Title, which would be fine, but it didn’t make for much of a six man tag. Parker and Menard are harmless enough but they’re about as bottom of the barrel as you can get around here.

Respect is shown post match.

Max Caster is happy with the response to the Acclaimed’s split and announces an Open Challenge series.

We get a bunch of computer code as I’m guessing Hologram is coming back.

Top Flight argues over Action Andretti and Lio Rush. Darius Martin wants to fight Rush one on one.

Tony Schiavone brings out Mariah May and Toni Storm for a face to face chat. Storm’s enthusiastic handshake offer is turned down and May says Storm makes her think and feel nothing. Storm is nothing and a joke and the fans laugh at her, just like May knew they would. May will get off by humiliating Storm in her hometown.

Storm says she is May’s biggest fan and wants to be just like her. She hugs May, who responds with a heck of a slap. May whips her with the belt and leaves, but Storm asks why May thinks she has forgotten. Storm takes off her clothes to reveal the Timeless gear and promises to shove May back into the womb. For some reason this is presented as a surprise, despite it being pretty obvious for most of the story.

There is a special interview with the Death Riders debuting next week. Jon Moxley’s vision is a thousand Moxleys. Oh dear.

Hounds Of Hell vs. Gates Of Agony

The Hounds are Buddy Matthews/Brody King with Julia Hart as the House Of Black seems to be completely done. Matthews shoulders Kaun to no effect to start and is shouldered into the corner. King and Toa collide before striking it out until King is taken into the wrong corner to take over. That doesn’t last long as King fights out and brings Matthews back in to clean house.

We take a break and come back with Open The Gates getting two on Matthews. The comeback doesn’t take long and it’s off to King to clean house, including a Death Valley Driver for two on Toa. A Samoan drop gets the same on King, who Kaun can’t powerbomb. Instead King hits a piledriver and a Cannonball/running dropkick combination in the corner finishes Kaun at 10:04.

Rating: B-. The Hounds are already a good team so this was little more than a way to show that Malakai Black is gone and they’ll be fine. The Gates aren’t a great team but they’re a couple of monsters and it looks good for the Hounds to beat them. This was a nice way to show us the new team and I’m interested in seeing what they can do. A hoss fight with the Hurt Syndicate could work just fine.

The Costco Guys bring Harley Cameron, who can’ t get their catchphrase right. The Vendetta comes in to mock Cameron and the Guys do their catchphrase. Again.

Penelope Ford and Thunder Rosa argue and a match seems to be made.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Serena Deeb vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Queen Aminata

For a future TBS Title shot. They go for early rollups to start to limited avail, leaving Purrazzo to chill on the ramp with Taya Valkyrie. Deeb ties up Aminata’s leg before neckbreakering her over the top rope. Sakazaki clears the ring and hits a big dive to take everyone out on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Purrazzo Fujiwara armbarring Aminata, who rolls her way out. Everyone but Deeb is down but Sakazaki is back with a high crossbody to take her down. Deeb and Aminata brawl up the ramp so Valkyrie comes in, only for Harley Cameron to come in for the save. Sakazaki rolls Purrazzo up for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. So Sakazaki, who hasn’t gotten a singles win since September (the most recent of these four to win a singles match in AEW is Purrazzo, who won a squash more than a month ago), is suddenly in a four way for a title shot. Sure, why not. The match was the usual collection of four people with nothing going on suddenly getting into the title picture because it’s not like there are people here doing things who could be in these slots instead. But hey, at least Mone gets to wrestle one of her friends from Japan, because that’s what matters the most.

The Hounds are back and bark but Kazuchika Okada comes in to say they sound like b******. Buddy Murphy challenges him for the Continental Title but that’s a no. Murphy: “Then you’re the b****.” Okada: “I’m not a b****.” This has been “how much can we get out of a one word joke”.

Here is Big Bill to call out Powerhouse Hobbs. Cue Hobbs, who has to beat up security, allowing Bill to hit him with a backpack. Said backpack contains a brick, a knee brace, and handcuffs. Hobbs is cuffed and beaten, with his nose busted open. Bill beats him with a chair but Hobbs gets in a low blow, setting up the belly to belly off the stage through a table.

The Don Callis Family has dinner at the….Don Callis Mansion? Callis tells the team to be ready for Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay and teases a new member. This was so over the top that it was funny.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is challenging and Don Callis is on commentary. They go to the mat to start as Callis confirms that yes, he does think everyone else is stupid. Shibata slips out of a headscissors but can’t get in a kick to the head so they get back up. They head outside with Shibata being sent into the barricade but he cuts off a charge with a hard kick.

We take a break and come back with Shibata striking away, setting up a butterfly suplex for two. An exchange of suplexes sets up an STO to put Takeshita down and we get a double breather. Shibata grabs a choke but Takeshita reverses into a Tombstone into a wheelbarrow suplex.

Shibata pops back up for a running shot and they’re both down again. The abdominal stretch has Takeshita in trouble so Callis heads to the ring. Takeshita chokes him down but Callis grabs the foot to break up the PK. One heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita one and they strike it out, only for Raging Fire to retain the title at 13:32.

Rating: B+. I got way into this one and it was a heck of a main event. They were beating each other up and while I didn’t think Shibata was going to win the title, he put in an awesome effort in defeat. This is one of those matches where there isn’t much else to say other than it was really good and is worth a look if you get the chance.

Overall Rating: B-. As tends to be the case with a lot of Collisions, there is a really good hour long show in here but instead it was stretched out to two hours and brought down a lot. The issues with random people being thrown into title contention are still going strong and that is likely to be the case forever around here. Other than that, the main event is very good and the Hounds looked great, so there were definitely some big positives on this show.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Nick Wayne – MuscleBuster
Kazuchika Okada b. Komander – Rainmaker
Undisputed Kingdom b. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard – High/Low to Parker
Hounds Of Hell b. Gates Of Agony – Cannonball/running dropkick in the corner combination to Kaun
Yuka Sakazaki b. Serena Deeb, Queen Aminata and Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup to Purrazzo
Konosuke Takeshita b. Katsuyori Shibata – Raging Fire

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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